Cogs of Puberty
by Condoriano123
Summary: Mirio x Nejire story. One shot. Free of manga spoilers. Rated T just in case. Tl;Dr: Mirio gets influenced and falls for Nejire. The end.


**Cogs of puberty**

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A/N: Mirio x Nejire, 'cause there simply isn't any story of this pairing on this site. I'm about to fix that. Takes place before their introduction to class 1-A, so anime only-s can read this as well. Also, this is my first story here, so have mercy.

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At first, there was nothing. Then Big Bang happened, and after that, bunch of stuff that don't really matter. Then, our favorite duo of Mirio and Tamaki enrolled into UA high school. It is there where they met their soon-to-be new best friend, Hado Nejire. And while all 3 of them came with intention of becoming heroes, things like puberty DO exist and it's about to hit them like a truck.

The day they first met was, of course, on the day of their entrance exam. A large group of candidates is gathered in front of the gate, ready to kick some robot ass.

"Waaah, Tintin, is that you?", asked the blue haired girl as she excitedly ran over to Togata and Amajiki. She seems to be running from person to person, asking about them questions about their quirks, horns, or anything notable about their appearance. And apparently, she's bold enough to enter person's close proximity without a second thought.

"TAH-HA I'm not Tintin. Name's Togata Mirio, nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you, too! I'm Hado Nejire. You just really look like Tintin… By the way, what's up with him?" – quick change of subject occurred when she noticed Tamaki slowly backing away from them.

"Oh, he's just shy. You're the only girl that noticed him in…" pause. Mirio contemplated his next choice of words carefully. "…in some time." That is sugar-coated truth. In fact, no girl took interest in Tamaki before. But _some time_ doesn't sound much better, either.

"_You're only making it worse, Mirio_." Tamaki muttered under his breath. He was utterly baffled at how casually this girl invades personal space. Mirio didn't seem to mind, but it was getting to him.

"Ah, and his name is… ?"

"Am-Amajiki Tamaki… is my name." he responded in a shaky tone.

"Nice to meet you, Amajiki-kun! Then, about your quirks…."

**DING DONG CHALA BALA CHING CHONG~~~**

* * *

Bell rang, to signify beginning of the exam. And thus, giant two-winged door opened, and students stormed inside with burning passion.

The exam played out as expected. While Tamaki and Nejire were competing for the first place, Mirio struggled to keep his clothes on.

"_huff, huff…. _Ahh. How did I do?", MIrio was sitting on the floor, topless (again). Tamaki, who was with him, sat down as well. Everyone seemed equally exhausted.

"You did great, but I still don't know how can you ignore the _looks _from others whenever you activate Permeation."

"HA-ha, I'm used to it! No biggie. Speaking of which, how many times did I get naked?"

"I-I think, though I'm not sure,…"

"12 times." They were interrupted by Nejire, who was strolling in their direction. "Hey, hey, hey, Togata~, what's your quirk's called? How does it work? Why do you get naked all the time? Where is your shirt? Are you sure you're gonna pass?" The last part stung quite a bit.

"OUCH, slow down there! My shirt got torn, and no, I-…"

"And Amajiki, you were amazing near the end! Why didn't you use your quirk sooner? It looks so reliable, is there a requirement for it? What is it called? Why are you running?-" Mirio was one thing, but there is no way Tamaki could handle such barrage of questions. He got away about 10meters from them, before he settled to be crushed with embarrassment. It was just far enough for him to keep listening.

_She's a natural airhead, isn't she? _Mirio thought,and so he concluded that the best way to interact with her is to respond with same energy.

"Hey, hey, how do you know I got naked 12 times?", he fired off a question in the same manner she does.

"I was counting, obviously."

"Wha- why?"

"Well, at first, I wanted to see how everybody is performing, but then you turned naked and stole all the spotlight! Honestly, you two are the funniest duo around." She answered enthusiastically. And so, such a simple, heartfelt compliment managed to get both boys blushing (one more than the other, you guess which). You don't get complimented by girls every day, with no strings attached.

And thus their friendship flourished as they chatted on the way home, until they were inevitably brought apart by the separate streets in which they live in.

Mirio passed, YAY! But _barely._ That didn't stop him from going into his classroom like he owned the place. Half-full, the place was already brimming with chatter as he and Tamaki arrived. Now, who could be heard the most in that group of 10-or-so people, you may wonder? Is it an uncontrollably rude and unnecessarily pugnacious hero wannabe? **WRONG**. Or is it a sexually frustrated sleazeball? **WRONG** again. There isn't any in their class (hopefully). It was Nejire, for it was her turn to explain how her quirk works. That being said, entire class was interested in person who scored the highest in the entrance exam. For they all shared common goal, to become heroes. Therefore, exchange of experiences and information is necessary. Not that they have much to share to begin with, but it was enough to break the ice and get to know each other better. And who wouldn't want to get to know the strongest and probably the most beautiful member of the class?

For a hero course, it wasn't strange for the entire class to be one big happy family. In fact, it would be worrisome if that wasn't the case. For their line of work, it is essential to be able to get along with just about anyone. **BUT**, closer circles of friends do exist. And one such group just formed, the trio that will later be known as The Big 3.

HOWEVER, It wasn't long before Mirio started lagging behind the rest of the class. Especially from Tamaki and Nejire. Tamaki would always have time to spare for him, of course, be it for advice, support or just pointless chatter, but Nejire seemed more prone to talking to Tamaki on all those things.

…_I'm falling behind, ain't I?_ though this wasn't hard to figure out by itself, but it left a foul taste in his mouth. Seeing her so gleefully initiating conversation with Tamaki rather than him would kinda sting a bit.

This led him to start a conversation with the other two, that will make Tamaki (unintentionally) shake Mirio's view of Nejire.

~_At the dining room of the U.A. High School, about 3 months in their first year; 3 of them were sitting together, Tamaki and Nejire next to each other, and Mirio opposite of them._

"So, what were you two talking about without me?", asked Mirio as he sat for the table, having just taken his meal.

N: "Oh, we were just reminiscing on Sports Festival. Say, what are you two going to do about your field training? You totally failed to get any invitations."

"Well, what is there to do? We've no choice but to pass out on that one.", Mirio responded joylessly. "But hey, important thing is that we had fun, right, Tamaki?" His spirits don't stay down for longer than 2 seconds.

"I'm still conflicted about that… but let's say I did have fun; I still failed in the very first round of the tournament." He didn't seem very enthusiastic when he was talking, either.

N: "Y'know, if you would only just get over your anxiety, we would have met in the finals ~. On the other hand, Togata, you were the star of the show! You made the crowd laugh more than once."

"AH-HAHA, yes I did", getting naked in front of whole stadium, WHILE everything is streamed on national channel is bound to earn some (plenty) laughs from the audience. "But the embarrassment still lingers, you know, we were on the TV after all." But then something flashed in his mind, which made him look more intently in Nejire's direction: "Could it be that you counted how many times I got naked, _again?_"

"Whaa~, you got me there! I actually did. In the race about 3 times and in the second game once or twice I think. About 5 times overall. It was fun to watch~" she explained as she sipped her tea. "You really won the crowd over!"

"Ah, ah… maybe that's true. I was getting cheered on by passersby's for a few days after the festival. They told me I made their day, and to keep my chin up and things like that." Knowing he got famous in a weird way made him blush in embarrassment and unconsciously scratch his left cheek.

Meanwhile, Tamaki was getting the _vibes_, from this atmosphere.

~_Later that night, at Mirio's place, he and Tamaki were hanging out, as they usually would ever since they met as kids._

Mirio's room is as simple as you can imagine. There are few figurines of his inspiration, All Might, on a desk. Walls were decorated with few rock band posters, as well as one All Might poster. Nowhere near as otaku-looking as Deku's room, that's for sure.

"Aw, man" Mirio was whining "things aren't looking good for me so far, Tamaki. Gap between me and the others just keeps growing. But hey, I made some progress today. I managed to phase my fingers alone through a rock. I can start activating my quirk on even smaller parts of my body now."

"You're working harder than anyone, Mirio, it's only a matter of time before you catch up…" There was a short pause where no one spoke a word. Rather, it was a tension (from his perspective, at least) caused by conversation at today's lunch. He had to inquire about _it_, even though he felt like he like he was jumping to conclusion.

"Say, Mirio, do you and Hado like each other?" Simply asking this felt shameless, it was going to keep him up at night.

"I mean, whenever you use your quirk, she just happens to watch you intently. Isn't that a bit…." But he couldn't finish. No, he could never. This was too much, he _must_ be mistaken.

"I, um… I misspoke. Please forget I said anyth-" Before he could finish, he noticed Mirio's expression.

It was… the plainest, dead pan poker face he ever made. To him, such question was just too out-of-blue, it wasn't something he even thought about. Focusing on becoming a hero was only thing on his mind for the longest of time. And now this, a question that is supposed to be so natural, and nothing to beat your head over, felt strangely alien. Rather, it was the topic of romance itself that felt weird, even though it shouldn't. In UA's hero course, he, and many others were so focused on their dreams, that they completely forgot what teens their age usually concern themselves with. It's as if the hormones forgot to kick in.

And now that the lightning has struck, his cogs of puberty started moving for the first time, albeit a few years too late.

Tamaki, who felt like he said something terribly wrong, tried to apologize, but…

"Nah, don't worry about it. I'll spare it some thought." Mirio gave him a thumbs-up, in poor attempt to hide is bewilderment.

"Ah, uhh, you will? I-I'm pretty sure I was just imagining things…"

"Yeah, I will!"

That night Tamaki went back home earlier than usual, still upset and cursing himself for being unthoughtful. _I should mind my own business_ – he pondered, but it really wasn't that big of a deal. Mirio was back to his cheerful self a minute after.

On the Mirio's end, his train of thought went as follows:

1) '_Do we like each other, or not?' This is the main issue. Starting from her, it's not like I can tell if she likes him or not. Nejire is pretty straightforward, if she __really__ liked me, she'd have just told me so by now. So at this point, it's hard to tell._

_2) Next, do I like her? How does one come to this conclusion in a first place? Do I think she's pretty? Yes, but so does the entire class. How do I know if my feelings are different from the rest? Well, I don't, this is all so strange…_

_3) Since I have no clues to follow from my or her perspective, then what impression do we leave on others? It was Tamaki who brought this up. That means that even if for a moment, we were giving off a potential-couple-vibe which was enough to make Tamaki consider it. Sooo… we can both like each other, but neither of us realize that. It is possible, I've seen it happen in manga. _

_4) So how does this help me? Tamaki was saying something about being sorry and whatnot…. But it's probably just another of his anxiety attacks. He knows how to read the mood, it'd be unwise to ignore his intuition. But then again, can I really make a move based solely on what he thinks? For this kind of thing, I think I need to be completely self-aware._

In conclusion, he decided to wait for things to play out, because he didn't have enough self-awareness to work with. The only thing he had to do now is focus on his dream and the rest should unravel on its own.

Now, would this be the first and the last time he came across the topic of romance during his high school days? There is certainly nothing else that could incite such theme in a mind full of ambition, ri- **WRONG**

It happened day after Tamaki's visit, in Togata household. After school, Mirio's dad called him over to living room, saying they had to talk about something. They were sitting opposite of each other, with dad having a cup of coffee.

"Mirio… your mum called me today", his father began.

"Oh! She did? Is she coming back soon?" He was always excited to hear about her, 'cause she works abroad. (A/N: this is just my headcanon)

"Uh… no, there's no word about that yet. But she did, um, ask me something about which I'm curious as well… Do you have a girlfriend?"

~_Silence. _This again? "No", just saying "no" is fine, right?

"No… I don't."

But his father will have none of it. His mind seems to have started slowly trailing away someplace else.

"Ah, when I was your age, I was already chasing skirts. Full time-"

"Dad, you met mum in the third year of college."

"So?"

"_She was your first!"_

"Let's not mind the small details~" Those were, in fact, not the small details. "There has to be at least someone you like, no?" Typical parental pestering.

"There… may or may not be. I'm not sure yet. But I will tell you when I do. Don't worry." Mirio reassured him. He had no reason to lie, he never did, and he wasn't shy of it either.

"Yeah, yeah_, but I want grandkids, Mirio_." Apparently, dad wasn't listening.

"**How did we get here?"**

"… and your mother wants them, too."

"IT'S TOO EARLY TO BE THINKING ABOUT THAT!" Mirio was in utter shock. His father looked as if he was in some sort of trance, already imagining grandkids running around the house. All whilst being completely oblivious to what Mirio was saying. It took him a few seconds to recollect.

"Anyway", he sipped his coffee, "you should still do you, of course. But my advice is to keep the idea of finding a partner in a corner of your mind, until you graduate. Because, unlike me, youwon't be going to college. Fin" Dad soundly explained his thoughts on this. "Of course, that is if you have it… in your plans to… get married… at all." As he spoke, his mood worsened until he looked pale, with an expression of a heartbroken child. Almost as if he was throwing a tantrum… He's a man in forties.

"Look, look, dad. Calm down, I told you it is too early to be thinking that far. And now that I think about it, your advice doesn't sound bad. I'll probably take it. Tell this to mum as well, next time you hear from her."

"Okay, I will."

Rest of the evening went normally. Except now, Mirio had a change in mindset as opposed to before. He was wondering what "keep the idea of finding a partner in a corner of your mind" meant, but after his father's daydreaming, he was too afraid to ask. (Spoiler: answer to that is: "keep eyeing dem skirts, Mirio.") In the end, he didn't think about it too hard, and days went by as they usually would.

However, as time went by, he would sometimes notice his eyes following the _certain someone…_ and then _certain someone else, _and then _certain someone other, _etc etc. What was happening, you may ask? Hormones, my king, hormones. Apparently, Tamaki and dad asking about girls did the trick to get 'em going.

_**BUT**_, that did not hinder his progress, ever. After all, in about a year (halfway through his second year of high school), term 'the Big Three' was finally born. And it was when those rumors reached Mirio's ear, when things for him started to change; for real this time.

The trio met in the hallway. As always, Nejire had the urge the share her knowledge and spoke first.

"Hey, hey, you know what, Togata? Everyone started calling us "The Big Three"."

"WHA- really?" Shocking news are followed by shocked reactions. And boy, did her invasion of his personal space make him blush? Yes it did, which was very unusual for him.

"Yes! "Amazing! You guys are so strong" - is what they are saying~!"

"I knew this was going to happen from the start, Mirio" Tamaki added.

"I guess after 17 years, I finally tasted success, huh?" This news flattered him. Taste of hard earned success is sweeter than honey, and this surely made him feel all merry. And perhaps, what also made him feel that way was the fact that Nejire was practically in his face, though she's shorter than him. The stir in his chest was real, and this time he decided not to ignore it.

It took him 2 days for feelings to set in, and for him to finally confirm them with himself. And so, he decided to talk with Tamaki about them first.

Two of them were making their way to the dining room, Tamaki already enjoying his chocolate milk. But just wait 'till Mirio hits him with this blunt question.

"Do you think I should ask Hado out?" The question came out as naturally as breathing.

"PPHHGFFFFTTT-" Tamaki choked on his milk, spilling over the floor and on his clothes. "WHY did you ask me that all of a sudden? If you're gonna say something like that, at least wait until I don't have anything in my mouth!"

"Uh, sorry."

"Seriously, where did this come from? And I'm clearly not the right person to ask-"

"No! I need to hear what _you _think. After all, you're the first that thought I might like her."

_Wha-? From back then? It's been over a year since then, don't tell me he thought seriously about it, all this time? Ah… but it's just an impression I get from time to time, there's no way I can be proper judge of that!_

"Mirio, I _really_ think you shouldn't be asking me this. What if something goes wrong because of what I said? What if–"

_**BAM**_**, **he got slapped on the back. "There's no need to worry about that, buddy! I'm only asking for your opinion, I wasn't planning on giving up even if you said 'no'."

"Oh… so you've already decided, then?"

"YES!"

"Th-then, go for it. I'll root for you."

"HA, I thought you'd say something like that~! Thanks!"

"umu… but how do you plan to go about it?"

"Ha-ha! You'll see. Don't expect too much though."

_Later that day, during lunch. _He and Tamaki were sitting next to each other, and Nejire just opposite of them. They were having completely casual conversation that has nothing to do with theme of this fanfic. Tamaki was indulging in his noodles when Mirio suddenly stopped in his tracks, and looked directly at him. Intensely. That made him uncomfortable. Severely.

Being careful not to choke on his noodles, Tamaki slowly swallowed.

"Ok. So, Hado", Mirio turned to her, "I wanted to ask you to go out with me, if that's cool with you."

"Um. Sure! When are we going?" She didn't even seem caught off guard.

"Hmmm… today after school maybe?"

"Sounds good! We have date then~."

_Wait, what? _Tamaki wondered. _Aren't dates supposed to be later, at night? And if you go out after school, won't you still be wearing school uniforms, __**with bags?**__ Where's romance in that? … But then again, Hado really didn't even think twice, and if they're both cool with it then…_

Tamaki proceeded to pleasure himself with the beef he took with his noodles, _if only Mirio didn't ask what he did, _

"Hado, do you have any ex-boyfriends? I'm kinda new to all this so I don't wanna mess up."

Yep, Tamaki bit his tongue. _**Y**_**_ou already messed up, big time! _**He was screaming internally. _You don't just 'ask' your potential girlfriend about her ex-s!__ Even I know that's common sense! What's more, did you just assume you're in relationship?_

"Nope", she shook her head. "I was asked out before, but I turned them down; I wasn't interested." She responded as casually as morning breeze, with a shred of enthusiasm.

**_And how are you not weirded out? _**_\- _Not only did she not mind his 2 grave errors, she practically responded with 'I'm interested in you, too.' You can't get purer than this.

"Ah, so then we're both _very_ new at this. HA-HA. Say, since I think we should grab something to eat after school, how about we split the bill at one of the fancier places?"

_Wait wait wait…. Did Mirio just say they should split the bill? _Tamaki was losing it for the third time. _Isn't it common courtesy, and sign of being a gentleman, for a man to pay the bill himself? That's what I've seen in rom-com manga… And if you don't have the money now, then ju-… _

"Of course! Then we can meet for movie later tonight~."

"Aye, and I'll get to tell my dad, too. He'll stop nagging me about finding a girlfriend. I can finally put his mind at ease."

"Oh my God, you too? Mine are that way as well. Guess we have a lot more in common than we thought~… What's wrong with you, though?" She turned to Tamaki who looked completely absent.

But in truth, it's just that he had given up completely. After going from shock into shock, he has come to realize that it wasn't Mirio and Nejire who were weird. It was **THE SOCIETY,** with its convoluted norms and etiquettes about what a couple should and should not talk about. They are too pure that filth, and have to be protected at all costs.

"I… I wish you guys happiness", he finally spoke in a meek tone.

Mirio got all merry and warped an arm around his neck, like the best buddies that they were "Aww, thanks man!"

And just like that, new couple was born. While their date is a story of its own, nobody was surprised tomorrow day, to find out they were in relationship.

When the 3 of them met tomorrow, it was just like any other day, except that today, Mirio and Nejire can be seen holding hands.

"So, uhh… how did it go?" Tamaki inquired.

"AH, yes! It was-"

"Great! We even kissed!" Mirio began to answer, but Nejire finished.

"Yep! We kinda did."

"Wha- what do you mean, 'kinda'?"

"But we didn't use tongue, right?"

Tamaki felt cold shiver run up his spine. He didn't like where this was going. On the other hand, crimson blush spread across Nejire's cheeks.

"_EeEeEeeehh_? A-Amajiki-kun, you explain it to him. There is no way I could…"

"_**Why me?" **_

Ah, **French kiss**. It is an expression that came to existence in the beginning of 20th century in English-speaking world, when the French acquired reputation for being more _adventurous. _Term originated in America and Great Britain. In France, it is referred to as _'un baiser amoureux'_ (a lover's kiss), or _'un baiser avec la langue' _(a kiss with the tongue). As the name suggests, it includes usage of tongue during a kiss. The sensation reduces stress levels and stimulates endorphin release. What is important, however, is that it's often used as an indicator of _what stage _a relationship has reached.

Tamaki struggled, really hard, to explain it properly, that the couples usually do it when they're about to reach a point of no return. It was painstakingly hard, but he got the point across, which made Mirio turn red this time.

"Holly Molly… I'm sorry~. I had no idea." _Cries._ He felt so embarrassed.

"It's ok, big guy." She patted his head. "Now you know~" and she placed a kiss on his cheek.

"Then, how about you and I have another date today?" With her agreement, he warped hand around her waist, and only the bright future could envelop this newborn lovey-dovey couple.

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A/N: This is where my first fanfiction ends. I'm well aware that there's hardly any tension here. I'm also aware of how many liberties I took with this one. That's because this isn't something I originally planned to write, at all. So I ended up forcing myself most of the way. Hopefully, my future works will turn out more interesting. If y'all have any constructive criticism to give me, then _onegaishimasu~._


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